WASHINGTON— Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’(USCCB) Committee on Migration, including those who celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona April 1, will travel to Capitol Hill, May 29, to urge lawmakers in the House of Representatives to act on immigration reform legislation. A call-in day to U.S. House members coordinated by the USCCB Justice for Immigrants campaign will also take place.

“Our trip to the border opened our eyes, even more than previously, to the human tragedies generated by our immigration system,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “Bringing our experience, as well as the solidarity and spirit we felt with residents on both sides of the border, to our lawmakers in Washington is a natural next step.”

Bishops participating in the day include Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami; Bishop Elizondo; Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City; Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona. The day will include a Mass at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill.

“The only real solution to this broken system is action by Congress,” Bishop Elizondo said. “We need a debate and vote on this issue. Inaction is equivalent to supporting the status quo, which Americans agree needs to be changed.”

CALL-IN DAY INFORMATION:

The toll-free number is1-855-589-5698 and our ask is for Members of Congress to:

Vote for immigration reform

Support a path to citizenship

Preserve family unity, and

Employ safe and humane immigration enforcement practices

The “Mass for Immigrants and Immigrant Families” will take place on May 29, at 8:30 a.m., at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, 313 2nd Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003. The bishops will be available for interviews following the Mass and will hold meetings with members of Congress throughout the day.

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[…] in the May 29 print edition of Politico. The letter was timed to coincide with a push by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that included a mass at a Catholic parish adjacent to Capitol Hill, a number of bishops […]

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The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)3 organization working in partnership with Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes, along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners.